Cable-laying vessel Marmac 306 in New York Harbor, New York, USA, Thursday, July 17, 2025. The crew of a U.S.-flagged barge will lay cables to connect the Empire wind farm to New York City’s power grid, a milestone for a sector facing conflict.
Brian Darvala Bloomberg | Getty Images
Empire Wind will resume construction off the coast of New York after a federal judge on Thursday temporarily lifted a blockade on the project by the Trump administration.
The preliminary injunction issued by Judge Carl J. Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is the latest setback in President Donald Trump’s efforts to block offshore wind projects.
Equinor, the Norwegian company developing Empire Wind, said its “focus will now be on safely resuming construction activities that were halted during the shutdown period.”
“Additionally, this project will continue to work with the U.S. government to ensure safe, secure and responsible operations,” Equinor said in a statement Thursday.
On Dec. 22, the Interior Department suspended five wind projects off the East Coast, including Empire Wind, citing national security concerns. Equinor said in its lawsuit that the suspension is “the latest illegal action” by the Trump administration to block offshore wind development.
Empire Wind is expected to power more than 500,000 homes by 2027, according to Equinor. It will supply power to New York City through a substation in Brooklyn.
Other projects targeted by President Trump include offshore wind off the coast of Virginia, Vineyard Wind 1 off the coast of Massachusetts, Revolution Wind off the coast of Rhode Island, and Sunrise Wind off Long Island and New England.
A federal judge on Monday allowed Revolution Wind to resume construction.
A hearing on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind suspension is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. ET in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Norfolk. Virginia Coastal Offshore Wind Farm, Owned dominion energythe largest project of its kind in the United States
